The Dos and Donts of Digital Interviews

The Dos and Donts of Digital InterviewsAs atalent acquisition professional, your days revolve around assessing candidates. From reviewing resumes to interviewing job seekers, you have little time to do anything but consider who is best for open positions. Needless to say, it becomes overwhelming very quickly.While there are many hiring tools that claim to make hiring pros lives easier, they dont always stand up to the hype. Luckily, digital interviews are available to consistently simplify thehiring process. In fact, our 2018 Growth Hiring Trends report found that 31 percent of rapidly growing companies are looking to start using digital interviews this year.Digital interviews allowhiring pros to quickly and effectively assess candidates. But like any other talent acquisition tool, you need to understand how it works to make the most of its features. Here is what hiring experts have to say about the dos and donts of using digital interviewsDo find out if the interviewee is comfortabl e with tech.The person conducting the interview needs to keep in mind that this might be the first digital interview for the candidate. If its their first digital interview, the candidate could be more nervous than usual. Especially if they really want the position. Ask candidates ahead of time if they feel comfortable with a digital interview. Offer a quick chat by phone to cover how the interview will take place and what he or she might expect. Hiring a person for your company is essentially welcoming them into your home. The better you are at putting the person at ease, the better guest you will likely have. Your potential hires should be treated the same way. Melissa Smith, Remote Work Consultant if the PVAIf a candidate hasnt conducted a digitialinterview before, walk them through the process.Click To TweetFun Fact Great digital interview providers, like ours ?? , offer 24/7 candidate support. This way, if your candidates have questions or concerns, they can talk with an expert about the platform. Having available support and candidate resources makes the interview process less stressful for you and job candidates.Dont go in unprepared.Whether digital or in-person, preparedness goes a long way to avoid errors. We expect those interviewing to be ready. It is only respectful to do the same. It doesnt matter if this is your tenth interview of the day. Prepare yourself to have the energy and excitement as if it welches your first interview of the day. This will also ensure that you listen better, ask insightful follow-up questions, and are interested in the candidates. You wont hire everyone you interview. However, everyone you interview will remember the experience they had when interviewing with the company. It is essential that the interview process is a reflection of the organization. Melissa Smith, Remote Work Consultant if the PVADo spend more time building a connection.With a face-to-face interview, creating a connection is quicker. We may need to spen d a little longer on the getting to know you questions in a digital interview. This helps all parties warm up and build some rapport before launching into the technical and behavioral portion of the interview.Jon Brodsky, Country Manager at finder.comWhen a candidate isnt right in front of you, ask more get to know you questions to put them at ease.Click To TweetDont interrupt.I also stress that all parties in a digital interview need to be careful not to interrupt. When in a face-to-face interview, it can be easier to see or sense when someone else is going to talk, but sound difficulties or a blocked view of a feier can make this more challenging in a digital interview. Ensure the other person has finished before you jump in, and if you do accidentally cut in, acknowledge and apologize for the error.Jon Brodsky, Country Manager at finder.comDo focus on the words.It is more difficult to form opinions based on physical appearance, including body language and mannerisms, in a digital interview, even if you use a webcam. One has to assess a candidate more on their actual responses, but this helps keep some unconscious biases in check.Addie Johnsen, Director of Global Talent Management at Aperian GlobalDont give in to distractions.In order to conduct a successful digital interview, its critical that you ensure you wont be distracted mute your emails, cell phone, and Slack notifications for the duration of the interview. Failing to do so, will result in your attention being diverted from the interview, regardless of whether its on a conscious or subconscious level. A half a second diversion could cause you to miss a subtle cue that would otherwise be a deciding factor.Mollie Moric, Career Advisor and Hiring Manager at Resume GeniusYes, digitalinterviews are great hiring tools. But dont give in to other distractions during the interview.Click To TweetWhat tips do you have for digital interviews? Let us know in the comments